The Porch Surgery has over 20 years of experience of clinical trial research in a wide variety of therapeutic areas.  Until 2005, Dr Andrew Cowie acted as clinical trials co-ordinator and has been Principal Investigator for between 150 and 200 clinical trials.

Dr St.John Mohr (who has previously worked for the Pharmaceutical Industry for 5 years) joined the Porch Surgery as a full time partner in July 2005 and has taken over this role.   He is supported by a team of three research nurses.  All the GP partners have acted as co-investigators on clinical trials in the past and take an active part in recruiting suitable patients for clinical trials.  We have an expanding patient population of over 11,000 patients.

The Porch Surgery has the following benefits:

• Extensive experience in a broad range of therapeutic areas

• All work performed according to ICH GCP standards

• Experienced and dedicated clinical trial nurses, who also work as nurse practitioners, which facilitates opportunistic recruitment into certain types of clinical trials e.g. infectious disease, migraine studies

• Expanding patient list of 11,000 with an up-to-date patient morbidity database

• All the partners and other clinical staff members at the Porch Surgery are actively involved in recruitment of patients into clinical trials

• Good working relationships with local NHS (and private) hospitals and their consultant staff

• Spacious, modern, purpose built premises.  Two consulting rooms available for seeing clinical trial patients with an additional room for use by CRAs during monitoring visits

• Dedicated and secure storage space for trials materials, including adequate secure storage for trial medication

• Standard ancillary equipment on site including an ECG machine, centrifuge, spirometer, freezer

• Experience of both internal and external audit

If you require any further information regarding clinical research at the Porch Surgery, please contact Sister Linda Callaghan on 01249 717025 or Dr Mohr on 01249 712232

The Porch Surgery is part of the BARONET (Bath Area Research Organisation Network) group – a network of investigators working in the area. www.baronet.org.uk